KPCC: Korean American foster parents wanted in Los Angeles County

posted by Ariel Neidermeier

There are an estimated 800 Asian American foster children in Los Angeles county and almost no Asian American foster parents.

A new initiative to target the Korean American community to promote more Korean American foster homes has been started by Korean organizations and the Department of Family and Child Services in Los Angeles county.

“Being in a non-Korean home is just shocking to them,” said Mike Oh, a county social worker who works with Asian American foster children. “We’ve had a lot of calls from the foster parents saying that the child appears to be traumatized, and not eating, not sleeping.”

Currently, not one of the thousands of foster homes in Los Angeles County is Korean-speaking — which makes the already difficult transition into a new home even more stressful for a Korean-speaking child.

For the next six months, a 30-second PSA will air several times a day on the Korean-language channel LA 18 and Korean community groups will hold information sessions at community centers. If the campaign is successful, it will be replicated with other Asian and Pacific Islander groups.

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